


I'll be there for you always (always and always)

by Emily_Davison



Series: You'll Be in My Heart [11]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adopted Peter Parker, Birthday Fluff, Codependency, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Inaccurate Compound Design, Parent Tony Stark, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Character Death, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker is a Mess, Platonic Relationships, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony adopts Peter, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25163749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_Davison/pseuds/Emily_Davison
Summary: Peter receives a special gift (or two) for his sixteenth birthday.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: You'll Be in My Heart [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723405
Comments: 15
Kudos: 168
Collections: carolina’s | fics that have been devouRED





	I'll be there for you always (always and always)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is it! This is the last chapter for You'll Be In My Heart and I was originally going to make this a longer chapter, but I re read my draft and decided that the last few sentences of this chapter would be a nice way to finish the series :) I'm sad to end it, but I couldn't think of a better place to round it off and I also have several ideas for my one shot series which I need to make my main focus, so I'm excited to start working on my first prompt I have lined up :D
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read this story, I appreciate each and every one of you for leaving kudos and comments, or even stopping by to read just one of these chapters. Hope you guys like this one! :)

On the morning of August 10th, Peter woke after a pleasant night’s sleep on his back and it took him a few moments of returning to a conscious state to remember that it was birthday. There were very mixed emotions churning within him as he was going to be turning sixteen and he didn’t have his biological parents or his aunt and uncle to be here to celebrate with him. It was a bittersweet feeling as his mind wandered to the many birthdays he had had with his family before in that small flat in Queens with loving guardians who always went out of their way to ensure that his birthdays were full of constant companionship and fun despite their poor financial situation.

Now, as the teen rubbed sleep from his eyes and his gaze trailed over the various expensive objects in his rather large bedroom in one of the most advanced buildings on the planet, he pondered on what his first birthday with Tony Stark as his father would be like. He couldn’t remember what it had been like to celebrate with his parents as he had been too young before they were taken from him, but he had very fond memories of the days he had spent with his aunt and uncle before they, too, were cruelly snatched away from him. He only had Tony now, but Tony was all he needed. Speaking of his guardian, once Peter sat up and ran a hand through his sleep-mused hair, there was a sudden beeping around his room and the classic charm of the eccentric billionaire was sounding through the four walls.

“Morning, pal, sweet sixteenth it is! Get dressed and come down to the lab, I’m cooking up something good here,” Tony spoke, clicking off almost instantly and Peter scoffed with a shake of his head. He climbed out of bed and got changed into dark navy jeans, a simple white top and a blue zip-up hoody, before sliding a comb through his curls and heading to the elevator to bring him down to the workshop. He could feel butterflies in his stomach as he stood in the small space, wondering what his Dad could have been referring to, but there was no possibility that he could have prepared for what Tony was about to present to him.

His father was sat on a computer chair, clad in his Black Sabbath top with black jeans and his legs propped up on one of the desktops whilst he scooped a handful of blueberries into his mouth from a clear package. His face immediately lit up into a grin when he met the teen’s eyeline. “Hey, buddy! Happy birthday,” he greeted, warmly, jumping to his feet with a youthful energy that would have best suited a man several years younger than he was and wrapping his arms around the boy in a big bear hug.

“Thanks, Dad,” Peter smiled into the man’s broad shoulder, soaking in the comfort he always gained from having his Dad’s strong arms around him, no matter what kind of situation they were in.

“My my, sixteen years! You’re gonna be taller than me soon, kid, please don’t do that to me,” Tony joked, voice taking on a higher octave as he teased, a throaty chuckle vibrating against Peter’s chest as the elder caressed the back of his head with a rough, calloused hand and the teen snickered at the light-hearted comment.

“I doubt it,” Peter laughed at the implication; he had always been small for his age and Tony also happened to be a little under the average height of an adult, but he didn’t have high hopes to catch up with the older man any time soon. “What did you want to show me?” He asked, his curiosity overwhelming you and he pulled back, eyes darting around the lab to find something amiss which he may not have picked up on when he first exited the lift, but Tony was quick to turn his face back to meet the man’s with a hand on his cheek.

“Ah ah ah, no peeking,” Tony instructed and before the teen had the chance to voice any protests, a couple of blueberries were popped into his mouth which effectively silenced him as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the genius, who merely smirked at his kid’s bewildered expression. “Chew and all will be revealed,” Tony added, slipping behind the boy and covering his eyes with his hands. “Just a few steps and to the left, buddy,” he said.

Peter smiled, sucking on the blueberries and taking a few tentative steps, arms suspended slightly to the sides as he was aware that there may be rogue objects like fallen screwdrivers and technical devices on the floor that his foot could easily collide with. “Am I there yet?” He asked, tiptoeing a little further and feeling pretty unsure about where he was.

“Almost, keep your eyes closed for a sec,” Tony requested, and Peter did, allowing the man to remove his hands and place them on the teen’s upper arms instead, where he gently turned him to face in the right direction. “Alright, open up, kid,” he spoke, taking his hands away from his son’s body and slipping them into his pockets, a gleeful smirk gracing his handsome features as he observed the boy’s reaction.

Peter opened his eyes and he couldn’t help but release a shocked gasp at the sight before him. It was a brand new, silver Audi A1 in perfect condition, the paint glistening proudly. He couldn’t believe it, he hadn’t even been at the wheel yet and he was already being presented with one of the nicest cars he’d ever seen, and it must have cost a fortune. He turned to Tony, completely gobsmacked and eyes wide with sheer shock. “No way,” he claimed, but the knowing grin on his father’s face confirmed that his car is top nick condition was his. “You can’t be serious!”

Tony snorted at this. “Pete, you’ve more than earned this. She’s all yours!” He replied, giving the teen a little push forward to encourage him to take a closer look at his gift.

“But, but, I haven’t even had a lesson yet,” Peter protested, half-heartedly, approaching the car and opening the door to gaze in awe at the interior.

Tony chortled a laugh at this and patted him on the back as he rounded the front to the passenger side. “Shut up and get in,” he retorted, flashing him a cheeky wink over the bonnet before climbing in.

Peter followed suit, trying not to think about the first and only time he had sat in driver’s seat when he stole Flash’s car to go after Toomes and it hadn’t been the most successful first ride out that he had hoped it would be.

“Well, how does it feel, short stuff?” Tony teased after a moment of humouring himself by watching the teen’s poor attempt to contain his wonder and bewilderment.

“Too early to be sure!” Peter exclaimed, turning his wide-eyed gaze on his father again, who was observing him with irreverent amusement and fondness dancing in his equal dark chocolate brown orbs. “This is crazy!”

“Happy birthday, pal,” Tony reiterated, smugly, releasing a small “oof!” when the kid surged forward unexpectedly and wrapped his arms tightly around the man’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Peter gabbled, excitedly, causing the elder to let out a warm chuckle and he immediately reciprocated the hug, turning his head to press an affectionate kiss to his son’s cheek.

“You’re very welcome, kiddo, but that’s not all,” he spoke, suggestively and the teen instantly pulled back.

“There’s more!” He cried. “What the fuck?!”

“Oi, I ain’t Cap, but no using the big boy words in front of me, mister,” Tony chided, raising an eyebrow and tapping the kid under the chin as a gentle reminder, who rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

“Sorry, it’s just you got me one of the most expensive cars out there, which yeah, you’re Tony Stark so that’s awesome, but now you’re telling me you’ve got me something else?!” Peter exclaimed.

“Yeah well, look at who you’re talking to,” Tony quipped with a smirk.

“Yeah, but still!”

The billionaire smiled and shook his head in amusement. “Look, you’re my kid and I can spoil you as much as I want so shut up and let me pamper you, alright?” He announced, whilst reaching into the glove compartment and handing over a small rectangular package wrapped in blue wrapping paper. “Pep wrapped it, just so you know, I’ve never wrapped a present in my entire life,” he stated, dryly, causing the boy to scoff. He might have reckoned as much; Tony didn’t even know how to cook most things before Peter moved in and he suddenly realised that he had to look after somebody other than himself, therefore pizza and alcohol certainly wasn’t on the cards for a balanced diet for a growing teenager. It didn’t surprise Peter that his guardian couldn’t wrap presents, but he wasn’t one to judge as he had to admit that he wasn’t the best either and it was the thought that counts of course.

“Thank you,” Peter replied, genuinely meaning it as it almost felt as if he were receiving a present from two adoptive parents with Pepper being pitched in to help and he wasn’t entirely sure how to process the overwhelming emotion that that thought alone brought him. He ran his fingers over the expensive paper for a self-indulgent moment, before ripping it open where he came across a black box and when he opened it, his eyes once more lit up in pure disbelief and astonishment.

It was a Stark Watch and one that Tony had obviously handmade this one as it had the initials ‘PS’ in the bottom right corner for Peter’s name. “Woah, Dad! This is awesome!” Peter gasped, sliding the watch onto his wrist and found that it perfectly fit, a huge grin brightening up his features. “How did you find the time to make this? We’re always together.”

“Hm, good question. I might’ve pulled a few all-nighters,” Tony cracked, reaching over to gently grab his kid’s wrist and bring it down to rest on his thigh. “It was worth it though, because I added a couple extensions,” he added, pressing a button and the screen flashed blue before a map of America suddenly flashed up, before quickly zooming in to their current location. “Okay, that’s working, good.” He tapped the screen with his index finger whilst matching his eyeline with Peter again. “Now, this tracker is directly linked to me and my watch, so you’ll always be able to see where I am whenever you feel overwhelmed or alone. What do you think?”

Peter had to bite his lip to stop it from trembling, but he managed a shaky smile all the same. “It’s perfect,” he whispered.

Tony smiled, knowingly, dark eyes full of unspoken affection as he pressed another button which brought up a holographic image of one of Peter’s favourite photos of him and his aunt. He had to have been about thirteen where he was making chocolate chip cookies with May and she had splodged a bit of the mixture on the tip of his nose, which he quickly returned, and his uncle happened to be there to get a great snap shot of them laughing in the moment. Peter didn’t get much time to observe the image as Tony gave the button another click, causing the photo to flick to one that was also a favourite of his. It was a selfie in the older man’s ensuite through their reflection in the bathroom mirror, where Peter had jokingly put shaving cream in the shape of Tony’s goatee on his face and his Dad had slung an arm round his shoulders with a highly amused smirk and twinkle in his eye, before swiftly capturing the moment on camera.

When Tony clicked again, there were a couple more photos of Peter when he was a baby with his biological parents and one of him and Uncle Ben when he was around four and he was sat on the man’s shoulders laughing hysterically at something either he or May must have said.

“Guess you’ve turned me into the sentimental type,” Tony joked, quirking an eyebrow suggestively. “-but I figured this would also help remind you that you’re never alone, alright pal? Even though they aren’t here, they never really left,” he spoke, tone serious and earnest as he observed his son’s reaction closely, heart melting when he noticed the thin slither of tears in his kid’s eyes and he hoped that he hadn’t overstepped the mark with including the photos of the teen’s aunt considering that the grief was certainly still there but well hidden beneath the surface.

“Do you think they’d be happy if they saw me now-me living with you? Spider-Man…?” Peter spoke after a few moments, gaze never leaving the image as he lingered on the photo of his parents holding him as a baby and voice uncharacteristically timid and barely audible, but the father heard.

“Yeah, buddy,” he replied without hesitation, tone adopting the boy’s quiet and hushed delivery. “I reckon that they’d be very proud of you, I know I am.”

Peter swallowed, thickly and wet his lips, gaze flickering up to meet the billionaire’s, who smiled softly when twin tears broke the surface and cascaded down the boy’s cheeks. “T-thank you. Thank you for everything,” he just managed to get out between trembling lips, before he broke down and Tony let out a small noise that almost resembled a coo, before gently pulling his son into a warm, secure embrace. Neither cared that the gear stick was sticking into their ribs, as Peter allowed the small sobs to escape him, but Tony knew that this wasn’t a sad cry. He was at peace. “You’re a really good Dad,” the boy asserted after a few minutes of getting himself under control and it was the elder’s turn to choke on the lump in his throat as he squeezed his kid just a little bit tighter. _I don’t deserve you_.

“I love you to pieces, little spider,” he murmured, using one of their private phrases which he knew Peter loved to hear.

“I love you more,” was the small reply and Tony, he simply chuckled.

“Not possible.”


End file.
